SHARE ONLINE

Comments (0)

Reducing Stigma Doesn’t Fund Mental Health

Wendy Darst has a master's degree in English from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She is grateful to dedicate her work in social justice through personal and
professional writing and playing music.

Resources

Crisis Connection, 612-379-6363 (Twin Cities)

Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)

On a visit to Boneshaker Books with my child, I waved my hand at the Kate Millet titles on the
shelf in answer to the question, “What do you want for Christmas?” My 19-year-old studied
the used books, and found a signed, hardback copy of “The Loony Bin Trip” for me.

Published in 1990, that book is about the
perceptions and repercussions of mental illness,
LGBTQ communities, sexuality, trying to run a
farm, and practicing one's art. Millet, who was
from St. Paul, had worked at the asylum in St.
Peter. She was eventually committed to two
institutions by family and friends. “The Loony
Bin Trip” is about the subsequent nightmare
of being judged unfit by those closest to you.
She writes about being in constant peril of
commitment, about her loss of autonomy,
about forced hospitalization.

Having one’s rights stripped away due to
mental instability is a common theme in
women’s lives and literature — consider “Jane
Eyre" or “The Yellow Wallpaper.” What is less
common now than it was in Millet’s time is the
likelihood of actual commitment.

There are more people today impacted
by the stress of poverty and inequality than
ever — and mental illness is more likely to be
discussed openly. Yet, there are not enough
places to get care unless you have considerable
financial resources. With the Affordable Care
Act, more people have insurance, however
they also have insurmountable deductibles
and co-pays, and sometimes plans that do not
cover mental health. Minnesota has highly
publicized de-stigmatization efforts, such as
the “Make It OK” campaign (makeitok.org).
We have great advocacy organizations such
as NAMI (nami.org). Despite this progress in
recognition of the need for care, we nearly saw
Minnesota’s Crisis Connection hotline close
for lack of funds last year.

The state of Minnesota is still trying to deal
with the fates of people incarcerated as sexual
predators at the St. Peter Regional Treatment
Center, where Millet once worked. Is it humane
for them to be hospitalized for their lifetimes,
and at what cost to the public?

Is Society Mentally Ill?

We recognize horrifyingly high rates of
mental illness in the incarcerated and homeless
populations. Law enforcement, first responders,
and direct service providers are often unprepared
to deal with people in mental health crisis and
may see them as criminals. Prison and jails have
become holding pens for people who commit
crimes out of poverty and desperation.

The stress of modern life seems to increase
exponentially every day. We are urged to be
more open — about mental illness, histories of
abuse, harassment, racism, trauma. It's great to
get it out, but it can be triggering and contribute
to our anxieties.

The more open we are about the challenges
we face, the more our struggles are validated,
at least on the surface. Yet to me it still doesn’t
feel safe to be honest about mental illness or
being a survivor of violence. The personal has
become ever more political, demonstrated with
presidential tweets and increasingly public lives
in social media.

Millet’s book was published around the time I
moved to Minnesota, where I have been learning
to live with my own mental illness and reckoning
with life as a survivor. Though progress may have
been made in equity for women, minorities, and
the LGBTQ community since her book came
out, shocking amounts of abuse, racial and
gender discrimination, and sexism continues
to build toxic stress in our lives. The field of
mental health tries to adapt despite having fewer
resources, fewer people entering the field, and
fewer facilities for those in crisis.

It’s time to embrace the idea that we as
individuals are not necessarily sick — it is
adapting to what our society is that makes us ill.
Let's focus on helping each other heal. Weaving
together our strengths, we can make a new and
beautiful tapestry.